Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-12-08


shield only, which, [ was informed, was
compose of Nasta's twenty-five thousand
savage hillsmen.
MY word Good,' said /, when / saw
him, lyon will catch it tomorrow when
those gentlemen charger whereat Good
not unnaturally looked rather anxious.
All day we watched and waited, but
nothing happened, and at last night fell
and a thousand watch-fres twinkled
brightly on the slopes, to wane and die
one by one like the stars they reSembled, as
the hours wore on and the silence grad
ually gathered more deeply over the OPP.
posing hosts
Deep into the night we sat, with pale
faces and heavy hearts, and took counsel,
whilst the sentries trainped up and down.
down and u. AL liz 2rc-,,ae4 .--11 --l:----a !
generals CAME and went, grim and shadow
like
And so the time wore away, till every
thing was ready for the coming slaughter:
and / lay down and thought, and tried tic
get a little rest, but could not sleep for
fear OF the morrow-for who could say
what the morrow would bring forth? Mis-
cry and death, this was certain; beyond
that we knew not, and | confess / was
very much afraid.
And SO at length | gave up wondering,
being forced numbly to leave the issue In
the balancing hands CT Providence and the
morrow.
kallu clG It.oU u Cdiiic bIC ECu sun, dilQ Gle
huge camps awoke with q clash and roar,
and gathered themselves together for bat
tie. 1t was a beautiful and awe-inspiring
scene, and old Umslopogaas, leaning on
his AK contemplated it with grim delight.
Never have | seen the like. Macuma-
zahn, neverr' ne SID. The battles OF my
people are as the play of children to what
this will be. Thinkest thou that they will
fight it out?n
"Ay," | answered. sadly, Ito the death.
Content thvself, 'Woodpecker,' for once
shalt thou find thy fill"
Time went on, and still there was no
sign of an attack. A force of cavalry
crossed the brook. indeed, and rode slowly
along our front, evidently taking stock of
our position and numbers With this we
did not attempt to interfere, as our decis-
ion was to stand strictly on the defensive,
and not to waste q single man. The men
breakfasted and stood to their arms, and
the hours wore on. About midday, when
the men were eating their dinner for we
thought they would fight better on full
stomachS, a shout of "SOrGjSi SOrGiSp'
arose like thunder from the enemy,s ex-
rreme right, anu taking tfle glass I was
able to clearly distinguish the Lady of
the Night" herself surrounded by a gilt
tering staff, and riding slowly down the
lines of her battalions. And as she went
on, that mighty, laundering shout rolled
along before her like the rolling of ten
thousand chariotS, or the roaring of the
ocean when the gale turns suddenly and
carries the noise of it to the listeners ears.
till the earth shook, and the air was full Of
the majesty of sound.
Guessing that this was prelude TO the
beginning of the battle we remained still
and made ready.
We had not long to wait. Suddenly,
like flame from lannon's mouth, out
shot two great tongue like forces of cayal-
rU md 90 ma oh arCriocr down tho Clnnn TO-
ward the little stream, slowly at first, but
gathering speed as they came. Before
they got to the stream orders reached me
from Sir Henry, who evidently feared that
the shook of such charge, if allowed to
fall unbro}len upon our infantry, would be
too much for them, to send five thousand
sabres to meet the force opposite to me, at
the moment when it began to mount the
stiffest of the rise about four hundred
yards from our lines. This / did. remain
ing behind myself with the rest of my men.
Off went the five thousand horsemen,
drawn up in a wedge-like form, and must
say that the general in command handled
them very ably. Starting at a hand-gal
lop, for the first three hundred yards, he
rode straight at the tip OF the tongue-Shap-
ed mass of cavalry, which numbering, so
far as / could judge, about eight thousand
sabres, was advancing to meet us. Then
he suddenly swerved to the right and put
on the pace, and [ saw the great wedge
curl round, and before the foe could check
himself and turn to meet it, strike him
about halfway down his length, with a
crashing, rending sound, like the breaking
up of vast sheets of ice. In sank the great
wedge, into his heart, and as it cut its way
hundreds of hOrSemen were thrown up on
either side of it, just as the earth is thrown
up by q plOughShare, or more like still, as
the foaming water curlS over beneath the
bows of a rushing ship. In, yet in, vainly
10, rio4S f- ,lc,, i,,
agony, like an injured snake, and strive
to protect it's center; still farther in, by
Heaven! right through, and so, amid cheer
after cheer from our watching thousands,
back again upon the severed ends, beating
them down, driving them as a gale drives
spray, till at last, amidst the rushing of
hundreds of riderlesS horses, the flashing
of swords, and the victorious clamor OF
their pursuerS, the great force crumples
up like an empty glove, then turns and
gallops peIl nell for safety toitS own lines.
| do not think it reached them more
than two-thirdS as strong as it went out
ten minutes before. The lines which were
now advancing to the attack, opened and
swallowed them up, and my force returned,
having only suffered loss Of about i've
hundred men, not much | thought, con-
sidering the fierceness Of the struggle. ]
could also see that the opposing bodies OF
cavalry on our left wing were drawing
back, but how the fight went with them /
do not quite know. 1t is as much as | can
do to describe what took place immediate
ly around me.
By this time the dense masses of the
enemy's left, composed almost entirely OF
Nasta's swordsmen, were across the little
stream and with alternate yellS of ''NaSta'
and ''Sorais," with dancing banners and
cleaning swords, were swarming up to
ward us like ants.
Again l received orders to try and check
this movement, and also the main advance
against the chest of our army, by means OF
cavalry charges, and this / did to the best
of my ability, by continually sending
squadrons of about a thousand sabres ou
against them. These squadronS did The
enemy much damage, and twas q gloriOu:
sight TO see them flash down the hillside
and bury themselves like living knife IL
the heart of the foe. But, also, we LOST
many men, for after the experience OF {
couple of these charges, which had drawn
sort of bloody St. Andrews cross Of deat
and dying through the center OF Nasta'j
host, our foes no longer attempted to otfe
an unyielding front to their Irresistible
the wood by Which 1T was protected nau
been defeated; and as yet Nasta's swords
men had, notwithstanding their desperate
efforts, entirely failed to break Goods
three squares, though they had thinned
| their numbers by quite third.
| AS for the chest of the army where Slr